Have your say

Every Friday, we’ll post some of your comments and attempt to respond to them in the days that follow publication. We thank you for taking the time to read UnCensored and appreciate your input to the debates with put forth.

Here’s a batch of responses from the article “The current ANC, ANC Veterans & stalwarts, Rupert, Oppenheimer, UDF and Save South Africa” by Mxolisi Ka Nkomonde. You can find him on Twitter @MxolisiBob

Mayishebe Setlatjile

The essence or invariable nature of power is either deliberately or through ignorance, misunderstood by most African leaders in all spheres. What has been accepted as a natural phenomenon – the Free Market economy is frightening. Like little kids we are told not to temper with the economy because the big brother in Europe or America is watching. We are made to be afraid to control and redirect our economy. The current crop of comrades who are in political power unfortunately spend most of the time crafting door-keeping strategies rather than finding ways of transferring political and economic power to fellow Africans. Africans will forever be trapped in this vicious cycle of ignorance and poverty for as long as the mindset remains the same. Creating economic power for Africans will never come through the empowerment of a few individuals. Until communities are given the opportunities to own means of production, have their own firms, economic emancipation will remain an illusion and a dream never to be attained. You indeed don’t have to take away Oppenheimer/Rupert’s wealth, rather take away what makes them rich – which are opportunities at their disposals, minerals and the investments we continue making in their establishments. Have viable South African Banks, controlled and owned by the communities. We all know that all these people get their labour and create their riches from the African/Black households. Africa needs Social Entrepreneurs who are prepared to live a modest life while empowering their surrounding communities through localised industries and projects.

Masoja Mhlomi

We must allow the ANC to provide and proceed with its policies and the mandate that was carried out when it fought for the liberation of South Africans. It therefore means we must give our President a chance to finish his ideology, working with relevant Members that will see to it that the Mandate is accomplished using the right Gear. We all know were the ANC comes from – unity and cohesion.

Kholofelo Sebati

I need not be angered by the utterance in this article – Fact or Observation. All I know is that there are too many people going through pain and there’s no realistic system in this world that will serve them. We just need to educate each other to make an effort towards changing our circumstances. So I quote; “Whatever happens in the world is real, what one thinks should have happened is projection. We suffer more from our fictitious illusion and expectations of reality ~ Jacque Fresco”

Nkuhadi Mofokeng

The article is insightful, I however feel that it is failing in its content to name the people involved so that the reader can make their own observation of the general posture of such individuals. The article shies away from mentioning that the capture of the state is not a new phenomenon but it’s inherent in the body politics and economic activities. Such an approach would demystify and rubbish the report of the public protector for what it is, given that it’s approach fails to include institutions controlled by the Oppenheimer and Rupert families. What about the role of international monopoly capital in destabilising the democratic state of South Africa? The weakness of the article for me is that it postulates that the ANC as a movement is highly infiltrated by people who are driven by self interest and that it has abandoned the people. This view is oblivious to the role of many forces that are hell-bent on reversing our political and economic gains thus far.